Harrogate Borough Council

Parish and Town Councils have given plans for a single unitary council for North Yorkshire the thumbs down. In an independent survey 68% have said they would prefer to see the district and county councils working better together.

30 March 2007: The newly formed Leeds City Region Leaders’ Board will meet for the first time next week to drive forward an ambitious programme aimed at improving the city region’s economic growth and competitiveness.

21 MARCH 2007: THOSE who have long been arguing that there is a pressing need to create a cycleway and pedestrian route from Bilton to Ripley will be pleased to hear that work is underway to develop this proposal.

21 MARCH 2007: Two new Leisure Funds have been launched by Harrogate Borough Council which will be dedicated to protecting the unique heritage of the district’s open spaces and leisure facilities.

20 MARCH 2007: RECEPTIONISTS have been asked for rooms with a sea view; residents have been stopped for directions to the seafront; and at least two Members of Parliament have recently spoken about Harrogate’s seaside attractions.

19 March 2007: Work has started in Harrogate and Knaresborough to introduce a raft of new measures to improve road safety and help traffic and bus management.

19 MARCH 2007: The deadline for the spring round of the 2007 Starbeck Grants is 17 April. Groups and individuals are invited to apply for money to fund new activities or projects in the Starbeck ward.

15 March 2007: THOUSANDS of children in the Harrogate district will be able get a cheaper swim from 1 April at any of the council’s five swimming pools.

15 March 2007: HOT on the heels of the news that the Royal Hall’s Upper Circle will re-open because of a generous £800,000 private donation,

27 FEBRUARY 2007: BUY NONE get four free isn’t an offer you will see every day in your local supermarket.

6 MARCH 2007: Drivers using the busy Ripon and Skipton Roads in Harrogate are being warned of delays due to carriageway resurfacing.

5 MARCH 2007: FOUR out of ten people who are entitled to council tax benefit are missing out. But Benefit Managers across North Yorkshire are working on a ‘corker’ of a campaign to get more people claiming benefit.

2 MARCH 2007 : THE first public toilets to have coin operated locks were opened in the 1850s at London’s Royal Exchange and the phrase to ‘spend a penny’ was coined in the 1940s when that is what it cost.

1 MARCH 2007: GROWING support for Harrogate’s Fairtrade status will be demonstrated this spring as a special flowerbed has been planted by Harrogate Borough Council’s Parks Team.

28 FEBRUARY 2007: A council funded 'Community Chest' has been welcomed by the voluntary and community sector in the Harrogate district.

28 FEBRUARY 2007: WITH temporary car parking provided to cater for that which will be lost during a £15m redevelopment of west of the market place in Ripon, Highway engineers at

23 FEBRUARY 2007: AT a time when various reports are claiming that government schemes aimed at getting first time buyers a foot on to the housing ladder are being shunned,

16 FEBRUARY 2007: IN the ‘olden days’, before newspapers, radio or television, a Town Crier delivered community news messages.

15 FEBRUARY 2007: ANY driver that has executed a left hand turn out of North Park Road onto Knaresborough Road will have done so with difficulty.

14 FEBRUARY 2007: Over the last few months the number of children attending the Jennyfield Styan Community Centre to take part in the Activ8 Junior Youth Club has dropped considerably.

14 FEBRUARY 2007: Alison Best, Harrogate Borough Council’s Principal Conveyancer working with Miss Jacob Smith’ s Trustees on her bequest is urging people to be patient and not to push the Trustees.

13 FEBRUARY 2007 - THERE is good news this week for shoppers and workers in Ripon City.

6 FEBRUARY 2007: IN the week that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its bleakest and most confident assessment yet of the science behind global warming,

31 JANUARY 2007: Many voluntary and community groups have a wealth of ideas and an army of volunteers but quite often are stalled at the finance hurdle.

30 JANUARY 2007: SAFER communities partnerships across the western policing area of North Yorkshire, which includes Craven, Harrogate District and Richmondshire, are each sending out 3,500 questionnaires

25 JANUARY 2007 - RESEARCH into a rare bone condition is to be helped by residents’ recycling in the Harrogate district.

22 JANUARY 2006 - USED to running up hill and down dale has helped Allen Bush from Pateley Bridge take first prize in an unusual fitness challenge.

23 JANUARY 2007 - The Friends of Bebra Gardens in Knaresborough have had their community efforts recognised by the National Lottery.

17 JANUARY 2007 - OVER 15,000 electors in the Harrogate District are already registered to receive a postal vote for elections on or after 3 May 2007.

16 JANUARY 2007: AS part of Harrogate Borough Council’s support for the re-development of West of the Market Place in Ripon, the council took a significant step in August 2005

11 JANUARY 2007 – A proposal to allow a farmer to relocate his farmstead at Spacey Houses Farm, Pannal, which is rented from Harrogate Borough Council, was last night endorsed by the council’s Cabinet Members.

11 JANUARY 2006 – CYCLING on Harrogate’s Stray hasn’t been totally ruled out by Harrogate Borough Council.

10 JANUARY 2007 - IN line with government statutory guidance, which stipulates that all crematoriums must make a 50 per cent reduction in mercury emission by 2012,

9 JANUARY 2007 - THE latest feature to be installed in the Nidderdale Pool and Leisure Centre is going down a storm with local children.

8 JANUARY 2007 - WORK has started at the Prince of Wales roundabout and approach roads in Harrogate town centre to improve road safety for pedestrians and drivers following a number of accidents in recent years.

4 JANUARY 2007 - Members of Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet last night confirmed the action it is to take following the Local Government Ombudsman’s finding of maladaministration in respect of a complaint brought by residents in Kirkby Malzeard

3 JANUARY 2007 - ASPIRING artistes and sporting stars of the future are being invited to apply for a grant from Harrogate Borough Council’s 2007 Centenary Grants awards.

3 JANUARY 2006 - PROTECTING public open land is quite difficult because it is what it is – open and public.

18 DECEMBER 2006 - AS plans progress to provide greater capacity for residents’ to recycle and reduce residual waste to come into effect from 2009,

DATE 11 DECEMBER 2006 - FOUR Students from Boroughbridge High School were set a challenge to create banners and other marketing material to be used in recruitment campaigns for Harrogate Borough Council’s Human Resources Team.

6 DECEMBER 2006 - CCTV coverage in Ripon City Centre has been extended thanks to funding by the Harrogate District Safer Communities Partnership.

4 DECEMBER 2006 - HOTSPOTS Harrogate Borough Council’s school holiday activities programme has a little something extra this year.

5 DECEMBER 2006: MINDLESS thieves have sickened Harrogate Borough Council’s Parks Team.

4 DECEMBER 2006 - WHETHER it was ice cream treats with parents, playing in the colonnades or simply staring at the Sun Pavilion in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens this lovely art deco building evokes many memories.

30 November 2006: SECURING over £9.2m of external funding from grant providing bodies has seen Harrogate Borough Council take top ranking in an independent survey of local authority performance in 2005/2006.

29 November 2006 – SWIMMING remains one of the country’s most popular sporting activities whether for fitness or fun.

22 NOVEMBER 2006 – PARKING in Fisher Street/Chapel Street, Knaresborough is to revert to a maximum stay of four hours starting on Monday, 27 November.

20 NOVEMBER 2006 - Roof work was halted for a few hours at one of Harrogate Borough Council’s houses in Ripon when the contractors discovered a bat had lodged itself in a ridge tile.

14 NOVEMBER 2006 – The housing team at Harrogate Borough Council, which is the country’s top housing performer, has been shortlisted for a new annual award.

14 NOVEMBER 2006: AS part of Harrogate Borough Council’s plans to improve and promote the cultural life of the whole Harrogate district, a review of the way it offers grants was undertaken last year.

9 NOVEMBER 2006 –Star of stage, TV and screen legend, Hugo Speers, will switch on this year’s Harrogate in Lights Christmas Extravaganza on 23 November.

7 NOVEMBER 2006 - ACCORDING to national market research, women will spend up to £1bn next year on making up their faces. Ladies popping into Harrogate Borough Council’s Fairfax Community Centre on 13 November will be able to do it for free.

8 NOVEMBER 2006: AS winter finally arrives, the Parks team at Harrogate Borough Council has started to think about the next planting season and is already setting out its stall for a stunning spring show in March and April.

31 OCTOBER 2006: THE first item on the agenda for the annual meeting of the Harrogate District Voluntary and Community Sector Forum will ask whether work undertaken by Harrogate Borough Council over the past twelve months

31 OCTOBER 2006. THE Harrogate District Action for the Environment Group is holding a public meeting about climate change at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 14 November, at the Council Offices, Crescent Gardens, Harrogate

31 OCTOBER 2006. The normal tradition of firing a rocket from the council offices in Crescent Gardens, Harrogate to start the two-minute silence will still be carried out this year even though the 11th falls on a Saturday.

3 NOVEMBER 2006: NEARLY 700 children from 43 schools have taken part in the first ever Harrogate district-wide swimming gala which is set to culminate in a grand final on *Tuesday, 7 November.

23 OCTOBER 2006: A study, jointly commissioned by Harrogate Borough Council’s Leisure, Museums and Arts division and the Community and Partners’ Overview and Scrutiny Commission, into how well council-owned and shared leisure centres are performing

25 OCTOBER 2006 - IT’S that time of year again when we are all looking in the loft for the hastily put away Christmas lights.

17 OCTOBER 2006 - THERE will 1284 candidates and election promises including £50 discounts in shops, boys’ only shops, bigger roads, banning of 4 x 4s, one free year’s council tax, tidier buses and so much more ...

11 OCTOBER 2006 - HARROGATE Council is to hold its first career fair aimed purely at young people and hosted by young people.

25 SEPTEMBER 2006 - A photograph of stunning skies over Sharow has been chosen as the overall winner in a photographic competition for council tenants.

19 SEPTEMBER 2006 - DESIGNING to meet modern needs is something normally associated with residential or commercial buildings but similar tactics are being used by Harrogate Borough Council’s Parks Team to protect public open space.

18 SEPTEMBER 2006 YOU could be forgiven for thinking that we are back in the War of the Roses or even another Battle for the Borders, as Harrogate’s latest floral challenge sees them up against Lancashire’s Garstang and Scotland’s Alness

15 SEPTEMBER 2006 AS part of a national government survey, Harrogate Borough Council has joined the County Council as well as most other district councils in North Yorkshire to carry out consultation asking residents what they think of their services.

DATE: 12 SEPTEMBER 2006 - PROGRESS on the £8m Royal Hall restoration project is going well and Harrogate Borough Council has revealed that more restoration work can be carried out than had been originally anticipated.

11 September 2006 - Do you live in Starbeck? Are you a member of or do you run a community group in Starbeck? Do you want to buy equipment or improve your skills?

6 SEPTEMBER 2006 - RENEWABLE energy is becoming a regular feature as Harrogate Borough Council seeks more ways to improve energy efficiency in its housing stock.

29 AUGUST 2006 - Harrogate Borough Council has appointed Leeds based Atkins Heritage to prepare a conservation plan for Knaresborough Castle to guide the long-term management and future use of this significant site.

29 August 2006 - The Harrogate District Action for the Environment Group is holding a special public meeting on transport issues at 7.30pm on Tuesday 12 September, at the Council Offices, Crescent Gardens, Harrogate.

Next week, thanks to the Harrogate District Safer Communities Partnership, Harrogate will play host to the FRANK Bus, which is currently embarking on an eight week tour of the north of England.

29 AUGUST 2006 - Many of Harrogate’s grand houses of the 19th and 20th century have become too big for use as one single family home and have been turned into much needed affordable housing.

29 AUGUST 2006 - Development Officers from Harrogate Borough Council’s Leisure Team are presenting a series of short workshops on Awards for All grants to interested groups and clubs. Awards for All is a National Lottery Grants’ Programme designed to -

9 AUGUST 2006 – She started out as a baby in Coppice Valley Teaching Pool but 12 year old, Lucy Budimir has become Harrogate Borough Council’s first swimmer to go right through the swimming development scheme to become a national champion.

9 AUGTUST 2006 – STANDARDS in public life have never been better controlled nor more in the public eye. Harrogate Council is seeking a new independent member to sit on its standard committees.

8 AUGUST 2006 – Allotment holders at Oatlands Allotment in Beech Road, Harrogate have become the first allotment site in the region to be awarded a Green Pennant by the Civic Trust.

4 August 2006 Youngsters in Bilton are set to have a summer of fun with the support of Harrogate District Safer Communities Partnership.

2 August 2006 - Live music, kids’ activities, competitions and of course lots of organic produce means that this year’s annual Allotment Show is sure to be as successful as ever.

1 AUGUST 2006 – PROGRESS is being made on the generous bequest left under the terms of the will of Miss Winifred Jacob Smith which will see over 30 acres of park land in Scriven being turned into a public park.

2 AUGUST 2006 – With cars, boats, planes and trains, we often know more about far flung places than we do about our home area.

28 July 2006 - The teams at Harrogate Borough Council’s Fairfax, Jennyfield and Knaresborough Community Centres are joining forces with Aspin Park Playscheme to celebrate National Play Day which this year takes place on Wednesday, 2 August.

25 JULY 2006 - JOIN Harlow Hill Allotment Association and Harrogate Borough Council on Saturday, 29 July for a site open day at the Green Hut, Harlow Hill.

24 JULY 2006 -Two of the district’s most prestigious and attractive buildings have recently been approved for the holding of civil marriages and other civil ceremonies.

13 JULY 2006The Leader of Harrogate Borough Council, Councillor Mike Gardner, has joined other council leaders from the eleven local councils,

12 JULY 2006 – ANOTHER phase of the Harrogate District Safer Communities Partnership NightSafe campaign took place last weekend in Harrogate town centre, but this time the message was bigger, brighter and bolder than ever before.

11 JULY 2006 - Harrogate Borough Council’s Housing Team have followed their success in achieving ‘Best Performing Council Housing Manager’ for the third year running by further reducing council housing rent arrears.

11 JULY 2006 - Goldsborough CE Primary School is celebrating after scooping the ‘Gold Oak’ title and top prize of £300 in the Yellow Woods’ Challenge.

10 July 2006 On the day that news emerged the Prince of Wales is to pay a visit to the Royal Hall, Harrogate Borough Council announced that it is to enter into contract with large national contractor HBG.

28 JUNE 2006 – AVID gardeners in Knaresborough, Boroughbridge and surrounding villages will avoid having to take their green waste to Stonefall as Harrogate Borough Council invests £450,000 in doorstep collections.

28 JUNE 2006 - HIGHWAY Chiefs at Harrogate Borough Council will be seeking approval this week to apply for planning permission for a new £280,000 footbridge under the council’s proposals to improve access across busy Hookstone Road, Harrogate.

26 JUNE 2006 - YOU only have to scan the property pages or glance in an estate agent’s window to realise that the lack of affordable housing for local people is one of the biggest housing problems facing the Harrogate district.

23 June 2006 - Harrogate Borough Council is organising a ‘Sport Relief Mile’ sponsored by Sainsbury’s, at the Granby Sport and Play Development Centre in Harrogate on Saturday 15 July.

21 June 2006 - Innovations in floral features and designs have helped Harrogate take many floral firsts – including being the only town ever to win the Europe in Bloom top award twice.

13 JUNE 2006 - ‘What’s it like living here?’ is the theme of a recent innovative consultation of young people in the Harrogate District.

5 JUNE 2006 - PEOPLE making fraudulent claims for council tax or housing benefit are being found out as Harrogate Borough Council’s Benefit Fraud Investigation Team uses its authorised powers to find and prosecute.

2 June 2006 - GETTING about by bike in Harrogate and Knaresborough has never been easier with more than 20km of dedicated shared or upgraded cycle routes which have been connected to many other lightly trafficked routes.

31 May 2006 - The fourteen–year old lifts serving Harrogate’s Victoria multi storey car park are to be replaced at a cost of £420,000.

31 May 2006 - A campaign to encourage local pensioners to make a claim for the benefits they are entitled to has been hailed a success as 95 pensioners in the Harrogate district now have more money in their pockets.

23 May 2006 - The flag of St George is set to fly proudly above Harrogate Borough Council’s main offices in Crescent Gardens to support the England football team in its quest for World Cup glory.

18 May 2006 – THE damage caused by drunk and dangerous driving is being displayed in Harrogate’s pedestrianised town centre this Saturday.

16 May - HAVING planted billions of bulbs and designed flower beds to numerous to mention, Harrogate Council’s Horticultural Officer, Alan Sharp, is to retire on 19 May after 46 years in local government service.

Harrogate District Safer Communities Partnership is pulling out all the stops to find and prosecute those responsible for a current spate of graffiti vandalism.

3 May 2006 – Harrogate Borough Council employee, Garry Atkins, is through to the final stage of The Local Government Channel and Local Government Association (LGA) Employee of the Year Award for public sector workers.

During a private visit to friends in Florence, the Mayor and Consort of the Borough of Harrogate (Councillor Caroline and Tom Bayliss), have recently visited the famous Italian spa town of Montecatini to renew the friendship between these two spa towns.

Pupils from Beckwithshaw School have proved that pupil pressure does work.

As well as celebrating Harrogate’s rich spa history, Harrogate Borough Council’s inaugural ‘Well-to-Well Walk’ on 7 May will revive the long lost tradition of ‘well dressing’.

With their campaigns launched and plenty of work already underway, the Harrogate and Starbeck in Bloom teams continue to prepare for judging day ... if only they knew when it was!

The Housing Team at Harrogate Borough Council has just taken a hat trick. For the third year running they have been recognised as the top housing performer in the country. This follows an independent report into the country's 222 housing authorities.

The claimant in a Judicial Review into Harrogate Borough Council's granting of planning permission to Partnerships in Care at the former HMS Forest Moor site near Darley has been successful.

Young sports' enthusiasts are needed to represent the Harrogate district at the North Yorkshire Youth Games at Ampleforth on Sunday 4 June 2006.

The day will include demonstrations of Urban Funk Dance and Pilates. There will be beauty treatments from Body Shop, Turkish Baths and Debz Nails and an opportunity to try out Reflexology. Advice will be available on women's health, and healthy eating.

Friends of Bebra Gardens have started work to clear out years of overgrowth and self-seeded trees. The hidden beauty of Bebra Gardens is starting to be revealed. Ultimately the aim is to get the Green Flag status.

St John Fisher High School and Nidderdale High School and Community College are taking part in Harrogate Borough Council's Schools' Solar challenge and have got themselves prizes totalling £300 from the Environmental Strategy Team.